Malawi legal queens Habiba Osman and Aeysha Itimu trimmed to size: ‘Legal opinion is not a sacred commodity’

It has pleased two women lawyers, one of whom is a prominent activist figure and the other an upcoming, to suggest that sharing legal opinion on Facebook is childish and an act of show off to the world that one knows law.

For the avoidance of gossip, the women are Habiba Osman and Aeysha Itimu. These women are not average women. They are the highly intelligible type whose intellectual journey is one that I admire.

For example, Habiba Osman is a law graduate from Keele University in England. Actually, she graduated with a dual honours degrees from this university as she also studied international history at the same time. She further attended the Legal Practice Course in Chester, again, in the UK and she is a Fulbright and holder of a Masters Degree in Prevention of Trafficking and Policy from Notre Dame University in USA.

Aeysha Itimu, on the other hand, is a legal research officer at the High Court offices in Blantyre. She is a law graduate from the University of Zanzibar in Tanzania. She is a very hard working person full of beautiful dreams and aspirations. She is further endowed with skills and the potential in her is certain.

As you can see, these are not the slay queen type in town.

Riding on their legal careers, they have taken, on board, issues of women and girl child rights such that the recent lyrics scandal by Chavura has been one of the issues of great concern. Naturally, they have condemned all those who were or are seen to weaken their outcries.

In particular, they have bemoaned the legal opinions that seek to establish why the lyrics are more of moral and spiritual problem than legal. Coincidentally, I am one of those who shared such legal opinion (although it was not a LEGAL OPINION in its complete sence) hence this take of mine on their views. There is a difference between a Legal Opinion and a legal argument. As lawyers, you are more than better placed to know this.

For starters, I am not a lawyer. I studied law (Foundation Law for that matter) for only 1 year at Chancellor college until I left the country due to other circumstances that stayed beyond my control. Thus any legal knowledge that I carry is of just 1 year Diploma studies at Chancellor College. If, by any chance, I am seen to know law, then I guess I can only assure you that we must never underestimate passion because it has been one of my greatest passion to study law – and given any chance to continue studies elsewhere, believe me I will do so with all my energy just to get to the required level as you are.

Regarding your insinuation that when we write legal opinion on Facebook then we are trying to show off that we know law, I would say that is unnecessary discomfort on your part.

Facebook is one of the social media platforms and people share diverse ideas and opinons in different ways and manner. Legal opinion is not a sacred commodity so enclosed from sharing. When we share it, just as we share several other grades of opinions, do not feel intimidated, irritated, or annoyed. Some of us simply find it to be necessary to argue from an informed point of view, hence we struggle to insert substantiveness even if it means going into law.

If we differ in ideas, let us argue on material items contained in that idea unlike dwelling on unnecessary diversions that only serves to display arts of insinuations and jealous. Yes you are great, for you have travelled far in this academic journey, particularly in this lane of law, but that doesn’t mean the path is closed for others. We are coming there too and we will meet you at the top – God willing.